In the world that we live in, it goes without saying that we have ‘no time to stand and stare’.
However, as more and more surveys reveal, a quiet vacation in an unspoilt corner of the world may just be what the doctor ordered.
So, here’s a top-seven list of where to go for you to experience paradise on earth.
– St. Vincent and the Grenadines (the Caribbean):
A deserted island with every modern amenity you can imagine may sound too good to be true, but St. Vincent and the Grenadines is precisely that.
This Caribbean nation consists of roughly 30 islands and cays, most of them uninhabited. A few, such as Palm Island and Petit St. Vincent, are actually privately owned resorts.
Needless to add, the solitude is overwhelming and the white sand beaches and coral reefs awe-inspiring
– Marrakech (Morocco):
The backdrop to your very own Arabian Nights story with its old walled city and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Outside the city, visit the mysterious and idyllic Berber villages in the High Atlas Mountains and the quaint harbor town of Essaouira on the Atlantic coast
– Tonga:
Located east of Fiji and south of Samoa, it is the only country in the Pacific not colonized by Europeans.
Towering volcanoes once dominated the landscape, but as they sank into the sea coral polyps gradually built the islands existing today.
A land of friendly, happy people, Tonga offers fantastic beaches, mild temperature, whale watching and water sports. Or you can simply lie in a deckchair all day long
– Mallorca:
An island off Spain, just south of Barcelona and slightly east of Ibiza, it boasts an astonishing average of 300 days of sunshine per year.
Need we say more? Mallorca offers beautiful beaches, marvelous scenery and the richest Spanish culture of all the surrounding islands.
The capital, Palma, is home to isolated hilltop monasteries and castles, particularly the cathedral of La Seu. Almudaina Palace is a formal royal residence dating back almost 700 years.
Finally, you can spend lazy days strolling through numerous art galleries, including Museu d’Art Espanola Contemporani, which houses works by Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali.
– Easter Island:
Located between Tahiti and Chile, the island is one of the most isolated places on earth and best known for the giant stone monoliths that dot the coastline.
These structures, facing the sea, were supposedly the handiwork of the island’s indigenous inhabitants called Rapa Nui, reportedly Polynesians who emigrated here in about 300 A.D.
Tourists can also see indigenous petroglyphs (rock carvings), as well as traditional wood carvings and tapa (bark cloth) crafts.
– Cook Islands:
For a truly exotic experience, try the untouched beauty of the French Polynesian Cook Islands.
Located in the South Pacific, these 15 islands offer a traveler complete peace and quiet. Visitors can stay in tiny bungalows suspended over the sea, since there are no high-rise hotels in sight.
Take another instance of its loneliness: Rarotonga, the capital city, has two main roads – one leads to the beaches and villages, and the other winds through fields of bananas, taro and pawpaw.
Similarly, each of the 15 islands has some distinguishing feature that make them worth a visit
– Patagonia:
Any trip to Argentina is a memorable experience, but for the sheer haunting natural beauty, nothing can beat the Argentine Patagonia.
The region stretches south from the river Colorado and is straddled between the Andes Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.
The landscape is primitive, majestic and breathtaking and reduces humans to non-entities. Despite the remoteness, however, there are excellent accommodation facilities, so you don’t really rough it
– So we’ve said enough, wouldn’t you think? Just pack your stuff and get going!
– Try the following links:
Europe Travel Listings:
http://www.ezilon.com/travel_and_tourism/index.shtml
USA Travel Listings:
http://search.ezilon.com/united_states/travel_and_tourism/index.shtml
Asian Travel Listings:
http://asia.ezilon.com/dir/Travel.php
Australian Travel Listings:
http://az.ezilon.com/australia/travel_and_tourism/index.shtml
